“White Lines and Bright Lights, consisting of ten songs completely written by Anderson, combines heartfelt musicianship and the lyrics of a constantly searching and yearning poet. “Blue Norther,” which will cause listeners to flash back to Bob Dylan classics like “Girl from the North Country,” wraps around the ears and the heart like the comfort of a country quilt on windy autumn day as it tells of the bittersweet effects of young love. “One More Year in Aurora” is perhaps the album’s most country-flavored track, with aching steel guitar and the heartbreaking lyrics of a man living and drinking in an empty house, yearning for a lost love. “Tommy’s Song” takes listeners on a musical journey into the life of a man who struggles to simply make it as a husband and father, and Anderson’s rich low baritone wraps around each word.
One listen to “White Lines and Bright Lights” will explain to listeners why the song gives the album its title. For a dedicated musician, life is the stage and the highway. The song tells about the loneliness of life on the road and the ecstacy of life on the stage that keeps a troubador constantly chasing the perfect song and the perfect audience. The song’s spirit is summed up in its final line: “My music’s all that keeps me livin’ free.””